Drug Running, Traffic Cops, and Forgiveness

March 4^th and 5^th: Thursday and Friday

Thursday morning Jim, Heather, Jenny, Leah, Rachel and I left for Kampala for a drug run and then for rafting on the Nile on Saturday. Bob and Justin followed after us driving down the Dina for a supply run. The last several days it has been raining so the entire road down was muddy and rough. Jim’s new Prada though did fine throughout it all. At one point there was 21 marble trucks stuck in a row. We managed to get around them all though. We met Bob and Justin for lunch in Mbale at the landmark. We drove for the rest of the afternoon to reach Kampala. It rained on us. Jim was stopped once by a traffic cop. the conversation went something like this

Traffic Cop, “hello, are you Ugandan?”

Jim, “I’m an American but I live up in Karamoja.”

TC, “Even me I’m American except for being black.”

Jim, “Oh, where are you from in America?”

TC, “Colorado”

Jim, “Oh”

TC, waving to the four girls in the back, “These ones are excess, leave one here.”

Jim, “haha”

TC, “ok, you are free to go.”

That night after we checked into the cornerstone guesthouse where we were staying we went to an Ethiopian Restaurant. I have never had Ethiopian food before but it was delicious. We sat outside underneath an umbrella tree and ate by candlelight. After dinner we went to Garden City and watched “My Name is Khan” a new bollywood. The first hour was hilarious then it got really sad and kept dragging on and on.

Friday Jim and Jenny went and picked up drugs in the morning while Leah met a friend of hers and Heather, Rachel and I spent the day at Garden City. I spent the morning on Jim’s computer. I did some email and tried to apply for college and figure out some stuff for Jim’s and my trip to Scotland. Had lunch in Garden City with Heather. I got a couple Lebanese sandwiches, schuarmas (sp?) or something.

Then we had to go meet Bob and Justin to drop off the drugs and pick up Justin so he could go rafting with us. Jim got pulled over twice in about two minutes by some traffic cops. They were just looking for bribes and Jim just kept saying he was willing to pay the ticket which is more work for them and they don’t make any money so he was forgiven. Went to a stupid movie that night, Percy Jackson and then went out to Thai food at like 9. Great food. God bless Thailand.